


I Know You

by candykonall



Category: Adventures in Odyssey
Genre: Gen, Platonic Relationships, jeff lewis mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-01
Updated: 2017-06-01
Packaged: 2018-11-07 16:31:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11062833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/candykonall/pseuds/candykonall
Summary: Connie is upset, Jason helps.





	I Know You

**Author's Note:**

> In AIO, when it comes to Connie, I don't really feel super strongly about any ship (whether it's with jeff or mitch or jason or anyone else) but I'm a big fan of platonic relationship and Jason and Connie's friendship is one of my favourite parts of AIO so I had to write this.  
> I haven't written anything besides a research essay in about two years so please be nice to me. This is my first time ever writing fic and I hope you like it. You can comment here or I'll also post it on tumblr and we can talk abt it there too.

Jason pushed through the door to Whit’s End, the bell jingling, announcing his arrival. He walked towards the counter. It had been a long day of inventory at the antique shop. Plus, only a few customers had come in that day and he needed to be around people. Whit’s End seemed to be empty. It was almost closing time on a school night; the kids had all gone home. Jason didn’t even see anyone behind the counter.  
“Hello?” he called out.  
“Ah,” he heard Connie shriek as she stood from where she had been crouching behind the counter. She looked nervous, maybe even a little frantic.  
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Didn’t you hear the bell when I came in?” Jason questioned.  
“Well, I was, uh, kind of in my own little world, I guess,” Connie said, sounding a little out of breath. Jason could tell exactly what Connie was up to by the damp rag and cleaning spray in her hands: stress cleaning. Connie has never been the tidiest person. Of course, she always kept the shop clean but when she started scrubbing every surface in sight - or even surfaces out of plain sight - it meant she was worked up about something.   
“Is something wrong, Connie?” Jason asked, his tone sincere as his eyes met hers.   
“Well, yeah,” Connie began, “and I need to talk to your dad but he’s in Chicago and he hasn’t been able to answer my calls,” Connie trailed off, “and Joanne is an ocean away, and Wooton and Penny are...well, I just don’t think they’d understand,” Connie paused, frustrated, “and I just don’t know what to do,” she huffed, eyeing the floor.  
“You can talk to me about it,” Jason offered, although he wasn’t entirely sure if Connie would be comfortable with that. During his time in Odyssey between when his Dad first left and when Jason had to fake his death, he and Connie had always been close. And although all the time Jason spent away from Odyssey had led to them growing apart in some ways, Jason had always valued her friendship.   
“It’s ok if you don’t want to,” Jason stated after Connie had been silent for some time. He didn’t want her to feel like she was obligated to let him in on whatever was going on in her personal life. “I know we haven’t been as close as we once were since I’ve been back in town, but, Connie, you’re my friend, and I always want to help you if I can,” Jason added softly. Connie finally looked him in the eyes, and he took that as a positive sign.  
“How about this,” Jason began, “I help you close up the shop, and then we make a couple root beer floats and talk. Sound like a plan?”   
“Ok.”

They spent the whole time working in silence. It allowed Connie some time to gather her thoughts, and try to organize them as best the could before opening up to Jason.   
By the time they sat down with their floats in front of them, it was nearly 9:30. Connie felt tired. She wanted to go home, go to sleep. But she also knew that if she didn’t get this off her chest, there would be no sleep for her tonight.   
“So what’s going on, Connie?” Jason asked. He had spent the entire time between when he first came into the shop and this moment trying to think of what could be bother Connie.   
“Well,” Connie started, hesitant. She swirled her straw arounder in her float, watching as the liquid spiraled around the glass, “you know I’ve been going out with Jeff, right? The guy I went out with for a bit in high school.”   
“Of course I know that,” Jason chuckled, “I may not have been back for that long but I’m still in the loop,” he joked, trying to lighten the mood, help Connie relax.   
“It’s not really serious or anything,” she paused, “not yet anyway.” All that time to think while closing and Connie still wasn’t exactly sure how to express herself. She was so used to bottling up her emotions until they exploded; communicating those feelings before that happened had always been difficult for her.   
“You think Jeff is avoiding making a commitment?”  
“No, not exactly.” Connie paused for a moment to take a few deep breaths. “It’s just, we haven’t really talked about where things are going. I mean, I assumed we were getting more serious. But then this morning he comes in here and out of nowhere tells me he’s going on a mission trip next week.”   
“Ok,” Jason said. He sounded patient, when inside he was screaming just spit it out, Connie!   
“And he’s going to be gone for a couple of months.”  
Jason felt like he was still missing a few too many pieces of the puzzle to have a clear idea of what Connie was so worked up about. “And you’re upset because you’re going to really miss him while he’s gone?” Jason prodded, trying to get Connie to open up more and completely spill the beans.  
Connie took a long sip of her float before answering. “It’s not just that. He just seems so casual about it. Like, he stopped by this morning to see me and get a coffee and then was just all, ‘oh hey,’” Connie tried to mimic Jeff’s voice, failing. “‘by the way, next week I’m gonna be leaving for a couple of months. So, uh, see you around’” Connie made finger guns at Jason, as part of her Jeff impression, he assumed.   
“Oh,” Jason felt like he was finally starting to figure this out, “so you’re upset because he seemed like he wasn’t bothered by the fact that he wouldn’t be seeing you for a while?”  
“Well, yeah!” Connie confirmed, her voice high pitched in Jason’s ears. She went back to playing with her float, stirring the contents and watching it combine a little more with each swirl.   
“Connie. Connie,” Jason repeated until Connie’s eyes eventually locked with his. “Not every man you care about is going to leave you.”   
Connie felt a shock run through her body at that. Jason knew her even better than she thought. Some how could pick up on all the clues she wasn’t even aware she was leaving.   
“I know it’s scary. You don’t want to get hurt. But Jeff can’t read your mind. You’re here thinking he doesn’t want a serious relationship, while Jeff could be thinking the same thing about you.”  
“How do you-”  
“Connie,” Jason cut her off, “I’ve known you for years. Jeff knows you from that short time you went out in high school, and the short time you’ve been dating now. Does he know all about your dad? Does he know about what happened with Mitch? Does he know that me, my dad, and even Eugene have all been suddenly taken away from you at some point?” Jason could tell he was getting a little bit wound up. He was worried that his words would seem forceful. He took a sip of his float to give himself a few more seconds to think.  
“No,” Connie answered, “we haven’t really talked about all that stuff. I mean, he knows what happened to my mom, how she passed so suddenly. But other than that, I haven’t really told him anything.”  
“Look,” Jason started again, his voice quiet and tender, “my point is, Jeff doesn’t know all you’ve been through. And he doesn’t know exactly what makes you tick, what sets off alarm bells in your brain, or what signals to watch for if you’re spiralling. Do you want to be more serious with him? Do you want to maybe start planning a future together?”  
“Yeah, I mean, I think I do.”  
“Then you need to talk with him. Trust him. If you can’t do that, nothing else will come anyway. And as for him being gone for a long time, as long as you have that trust with each other, as long as you can trust that he’ll come back to you, no time apart is going to destroy that unless you let it.”   
“Well it’s not always up to him anyway,” those words left Connie’s mouth like ripping off a bandaid. There was some fear in her voice again.  
“What do you mean by that?” Jason prodded, completely confused by what Connie just said.   
“I just, my mom, she was always there for me. I mean, sure, we fought some times like all moms and daughters do. But no matter what happened, no matter who came into my life, or left it, I always, always had…” Connie trailed off, her voice beginning to crack.  
“And then you lost her,” Jason finished for her.   
Connie took a few deep breaths until she was calm enough to speak again. “It’s just, it was so sudden. I had no warning. My mom did everything she could to stick with me, and then she left anyway; she had no control over that. What’s the point in putting all this effort into a relationship, if something like that could just happen anyway.”  
“Connie, the whole trust thing, it doesn’t just go for the people in our lives. We need to have even more trust in God. And know that no matter what happens, no matter how shaken or afraid you feel, he’s got everything under control. And I bet if you talked to God about the fears you have in your relationship with Jeff, or with anybody, God could ease those fears too.”  
“Ok. I know.” Connie seemed lighter, more calm and even. “I guess i did know that already, but it helps to hear it from someone else.” Connie stood up from her seat, and Jason did the same.  
“Thank you, Jason,” Connie smiled.  
“Any time,” Jason responded, pulling her in for a light hug. “I mean that.”


End file.
